What to do with Town Meeting: A reporter's thoughts

Clean drinking water in school, water and waste expenditures are on the docket at this year's Town Meeting

Even after the discussion had begun, people were still walking into the school, trying to find a seat. It seemed as though anyone and everyone who had an opinion had shown up to be counted and heard.

As a reporter for the Concord Journal, this was my fourth Town Meeting in Concord and I was loving every minute of it. Even though it was not my night to cover the meeting for the paper, I showed up for the discussion because, 1) I'm a political science junkie - local, state, national level, doesn't matter, and, 2) after covering the issue for months in the paper, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Many reporters' eyes glaze over and roll into the back of their heads at the very mention of Town Meeting. It can be the one assignment everyone dreads. Not for me. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I covered the many meetings and discussions that lead up to Town Meeting itself. I saw a lot of the preparation that's involved with putting together the "ultimate dog and pony show" as it's been called by some insiders.

I know this may sound corny, but I always felt that the Town Meeting process resonated with the very principles this country was founded on. It's residents having a direct say in things that affect their lives.

But, the fact that turnout can be strong on some nights and not on others has lead to a heated debate over the effectiveness of the whole process. Some feel it's fine just the way it is while others feel it should be completely revamped, even suggesting articles should be voted on at the polling places in town as in an election.

In all of this discussion, I think one issue has been ignored: if you really look at how many people come to the meeting, the average turnout per night of a few hundred voters says to me more about how voters feel about how the town is being run rather than if Town Meeting works.

I agree with those who say Town Meeting could use a tune-up. It's an institution that is hundreds of years old and it does need to be adjusted a bit to accommodate the lifestyles of the 1990s and the next century. Even with adjustments, however, you can't ignore the fact that you can't make someone go to Town Meeting.

It seems to me that if people were truly unhappy with how things were being done and with the decisions being made by town leaders, voters would show up to the meeting. As evidence, I point to the numerous meetings I covered as a reporter in Concord (I shudder to think how many hours I spent in meeting rooms around town). If people were unhappy about something going on in their neighborhood, they show up. For the most part, residents do not simply spout off at a meeting. They come with informed opinions and piles of papers, reports and petitions.

Why? Because they care. People may not always agree, but they always have their chance to voice their opinions, and for me, that's what Town Meeting is all about.